`Food of Texas' Covers History and Cuisine

Gitanjali Bhushan

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, November 8, 2000

"Don't mess with Texas," the saying goes. And thank goodness Caroline Stuart doesn't. Her book, "The Food of Texas," keeps the food of the Lonestar State true to its roots while highlighting the creations from some of its most innovative chefs.

Stuart juxtaposes recipes from these chefs with many of her "favorite Texas homestyle creations," making for an eclectic mix of flavors, tastes and styles, much like Texas itself.

The book begins with a look at the history and culture of the state, with its diverse culinary mix of Mexican, Gulf Coast, Southern and even Czech and German influences, and includes an update on the many new restaurants springing up in cosmopolitan centers such as Austin, Dallas and Houston.

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Stuart has gathered many of the 70-plus recipes in the book straight from the chefs whose new restaurants have helped put Texas on the culinary map. Chefs' recipes are generally time- consuming, and these are no exception. But the main drawback is that Stuart's instructions aren't always clear. The recipes call for ingredients, such as fresh purees, with no explanation of preparation technique. Some cookbooks assume that the user is a novice. Not this one. Many of the recipes would be challenging even for an experienced home cook.

On the other hand, some of the author's own recipes appear simplistic, such as a recipe for "Hubcap Hamburgers and Giant Onion Rings," which is a fancy name for a burger and onion rings. Yet many are worth trying. Texas Sweet Onion Pie, the author's quichelike creation, is simple and satisfying. Made with sweet onions, it is rich with Monterey jack cheese and flavored with just a touch of chile powder.

The Tortilla Soup, a recipe from Dean Fearing of The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, is much more complicated, involving several steps, including making two purees. But the end result is hearty, thick with tomato and garnished with fresh cheese, avocados, strips of chicken breast and crispy fried tortillas.

The Candied Pecan Snapper, from Bruce Molzan of Ruggles Grill in Houston, is accompanied by a fresh avocado-corn salsa and a tangy mango-pesto mojo (sauce or coulis). The dish is time-consuming to prepare, but wonderful in its balance of flavors and textures. One caveat: The recipe calls for searing the fish on "medium heat" without allowing for the fact that on certain electric ranges, medium heat is not high enough to caramelize the sugar and pecans. Despite these sorts of shortcomings, the recipes are interesting and innovative, and the photographs are inspiring. But whether or not the average home cook will want to mess with such involved recipes is another question.